The present invention relates to racks for storing and dispensing thin film plastic bags, such as used grocery bags which have been saved for some future use after the groceries have been removed. More particularly, it relates to a caddy for holding and retaining the bags after they have been compacted by hand, such as by crushing, folding or twisting.
It is safe to say that the vast majority of more than 292 million people in the United States save plastic grocery store, specialty store or department store bags. But for many people, the hundreds of millions of saved plastic bags, although useful at times, have proven to be a source of clutter and frustration.
Various storage solutions have been brought forward. One, which is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,843, issued Jan. 11, 2000, provides a cloth bag or tube with an open top and open reduced diameter bottom into which the plastic bags, of all sizes, are indiscriminately stuffed. The bag is hung by a loop in a cord fastened around the upper end of the bag and engaged on a hook.
A similar solution is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,933, issued Aug. 30, 1994. In that patent a cloth tube is provided with a wide entry opening at its upper end and a drawstring for pulling the upper end of the bag closed. The drawstring also forms a loop to use in hanging the bag up. An elastic band is sewn in a hem around the open lower end of the bag to reduce the diameter or that opening.
A modified fabric sack type of storage container is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,108, issued Sep. 19, 1995. That patent recognizes the need for sorting bags of different sizes from each other. The larger bags are crushed and stuffed into the top of a fabric tube, much like the ″933 patent unit, but the inventor in '108 has provided a separate pocket or set of pockets for different sizes of bags also. The separate pockets are sewn onto the outside of the main fabric tube and are themselves provided with elasticized upper input and lower outlet ends outside of the main tube.
Still another form of container is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,927. That form includes a relatively rigid upper can into which crushed plastic bags may be dropped and weighted down by a lid placed over them. The lid is slidably disposed in the can so that it rests upon and follows the upper surface of the crushed plastic bags inside the can. A flexible sleeve hangs from the upper can and receives a supply of the crushed plastic bags. The upper end of the sleeve portion matches the size of the open lower end of the can, and the lower end of the sleeve narrows to a small lower opening which allows only a single one of the crushed plastic bags to be withdrawn.
These constructions demonstrate that there is a need for a container which is easy to access, which will hold the plastic bags for reuse, and which accommodates sorting them by size.